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Thursday, February 18, 2016

A Tasteless Tastemaker

Lately I have been SUPER busy with self-imposed writing deadlines. It
turns out being a shut-in with that bout of winter weather got me all
inspired. [Tangent: Did you
know last week, there was a movement called "National Visit a Shut-In
Day"? I know I'm not the foremost expert on appropriateness...but do you
think Shut-ins like that title? I'm indoorsy by nature, and think it's
weird.] Sometimes these creative bursts make one feel a little introspective.

Sometimes I think my personality is hard. I find the humor in most situations even ones that aren't conventionally funny [Tangent: Example- I giggled aloud when I heard the phrase "National Visit a Shut-in Day."]
It's for sure a coping mechanism and most people don't get it. I've
definitely come to terms with that over the years. Those that know me
know that I'm not a complete A-hole [Tangent: ...at least I hope so. Even though I will fully cop to being an ass from time to time.] Even
still, it's very easy (even for someone like me with zero filtration
system or shits to give) to feel disappointed when you disappoint
people...or worse yet, when people think you're a monster.

OK. Wait, what am I talking about? Well, as mentioned at the get go, I have been freelancing like a lunatic lately [Tangent:
...even though some pieces which were much fraught after were never
published...and others are in limbo till the time is right...which is a
bitch for someone who thrives on instant gratification.] Just before V-day, I had this piece published in Hello Giggles about the baffling way the Internet, and etsy sellers especially, have latched onto the two defense attorneys in Making A Murderer, the dad jean dream team of Jerry Butin and wild thang Dean Strang. You can read the article here where I talk about how all the Valentine themed goods that were there for the buying! To me it seemed a slam dunk because I was blending something pop culturally zeitgeisty with a timely Halmark holiday.

Anyway, when the article was shared on the Hello Giggles Facebook page, more than one HG fan was
disgusted by my post. They said it was "tasteless"...which I knew I can
be from time-to-time, but didn't feel I was being in this case. When
one person mentioned that I was inconsiderate to the victims and their
families, suddenly I felt both sad and super defensive. [Tangent:
Instead of defending a potential criminal...I was somehow defending my
write to commentate on artists and illustrators obsession with the most
unlikely of subjects- potentially the most generically midwestern idols of all time. The criminal in question was barely actually mentioned, but yes...I could see why people would feel strongly given the subject.] I wondered if they had read it even. Would various editors sign off on it if it was so bad? [Tangent: Meanwhile I am more upset by the typos that are blaring at me!! Yikes! Don't even point them out to me. I know they are there.]
It was all supposed to be light and fun, which made it a juxtoposition
becasue the documentary series was decidedly not. Oh well, I felt bad
for about 5 minutes because I felt misunderstood. I have learned that
to be true to myself means having people not get it so I tried to remind
myself of that. I tried to brush it off quickly, realizing this was just the opinion of a small portion of the readers.

The next day, I awoke to a smattering of thank-you tweets from various sellers whose shops and designs were profiled in the piece.

They
were surprised flattered and excited because they had awoke that
morning to a heap of new orders. It was the ultimate Snoopy band-aid on
top of the prior days paper cut. These people had gotten some free press
and felt validated in their creative pursuits. When I was discussing
the whole ordeal with Jamie, he put me perfectly at ease with the whole
situation- "I guess you're just a tasteless tastemaker." Yep, there's my future book title.